


Because I'm Terrified

by plasticineking



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-30 13:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3937783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plasticineking/pseuds/plasticineking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a communications officer, it was important to Rose Tyler that she understood people on the ship, as much as she understood the different species she met on missions. If only she could get a read on the Doctor...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Because I'm Terrified

**Author's Note:**

> I've annoyed myself with this, because I want to write more, but I can't be sure that I will... so I won't make a promise. I mixed two of my favourites together... also two of my favourite ships (glutton for punishment when it comes to shipping bones x uhura, let me tell you). I hope you enjoy.

**Because I'm Terrified**

* * *

 

As a communications officer, it was important - if not the most important thing - that Lieutenant Rose Tyler  could understand all her colleagues on the bridge exceedingly well. She needed to understand the twitch of their faces as much as the tone of their words. She needed to know the ones that would accept a hug in the mornings from the ones that would prefer a coffee. Her Captain, Jack Harkness was a hugger, whereas his first officer, Mr. Jones, was a coffee drinker (or, as she found, preferred to also make his own coffee). Mickey and Martha, the pilots, were both huggers respectively, although considering Rose's previous relationship with Mickey and his current with Martha, it took a little longer for her to warm to Rose. 

The rest of the bridge were quiet, and seemed to keep to themselves, as much as any crew could under the orders of a man like Jack Harkness. There was Donna Noble, one of the Doctors from sickbay, that Rose knew extremely well, considering she bunked with her for the whole time at the academy, she was someone that wanted a coffee first and then a hug. CMO of the ship was The Doctor, as in he does have a real name but has seemingly a bit of a complex and prefers to be called that. John Noble was many things, a Doctor being the main one, but anything like his sister? Well, that remained to be seen. As far as Rose could tell he would no sooner hug her than accept a hypospray from Nurse Rory. 

It wasn't that he was cold, according to Jack - his best friend, in some bizarre twist - he's bitter, terrified of flying as much as he's terrified of letting anyone get close. Since he was on a ship and had little to no control over that, the least he could do is prevent the latter.  Persistence,  is what Jack called it,  the key to getting that man to be your friend is persistence...that and a good bottle of bourbon.  Rose couldn't decide, yet, if he was worth all that effort. Especially considering his general distaste for her presence when she comes to visit Donna during a shift, as if she disturbed the extremely light workload they had just by offering to pick up food for the both of them.

Rose had never entertained the idea of dating during her first five year mission upon the Enterprise, it wasn't her idea to find love. Find a new language? That was her main goal. To learn even more than what she already knew, that was a given. Love, dating and anything that went along with that just wasn't something she thought about. 

Even as she helped set up Rory and Amy 'Scotty' Pond from engineering. Even as she gave advice to Jack on how to approach Ianto more seriously than he had been. Even as she sat with Donna as she mailed her fiance, Lee, down on earth. It didn't bother her.

Who knew that's exactly what she'd need to talk about to have a conversation with the grumpy Doctor.

\--

Shore leave was an event in itself. Nevermind the planet, location or people... nevermind the clubs or the shops or the actual real running water, nevermind the different foods...just the promise of being on solid ground and no artificial light... that was what really excited the people. For the first time in their shore leave, even Jack was beaming down for one of the days, and the ship was being sort to by some of the best mechanics on the planet - after it took some fire when Jack insulted the leaders daughter at what was promised to be a peaceful meeting - supervised by Amy, who promised would never be far away. 

For Rose, it was an excuse to talk to the different species on the planet. To test out her linguistic abilities. It was all good listening to different transmissions and translating them for Jack, and occasionally being there to talk to the people when they went to different planets... to casually be able to use her talents without a  PADD  at hand, just being able to let the whole situation wash over her.

Donna had demanded that Rose take one evening out of their three day leave to actually go out to a club, if not for her own sake then for Donna's dancing feet - with a role of her eyes Rose agreed, but with a pointed finger she made it very clear that she was most definitely not going to be drinking too much. Something that was greeted with a knowing smirk from her ginger friend.

"You know, I love all those fancy drinks...they taste like...space...in my mouth," Rose admitted, scrunching her face up in concentration. Jack let out a hearty laugh.

"This is the reason you're the best linguistic for my ship, such a way with words Rosie!" 

"Don't...don't call me that, Lieutenant Tyler, Captain!" She stood up from the small booth, raising her hand to salute him in the old-terran manner, which just gained her more laughter from the table. Even the usually stoic Ianto was chuckling into his equally fruity drink.

"Well, Lieutenant, either give us a show whilst you're standing there, or sit back down, you're making the place look untidy," Jack pointed at the vacated seat next to Donna and Rose poked her tongue out.

"You wish! I will sit, after I get a glass of whiskey..." pausing her words, she took two steps backwards into the crowd towards the bar, "That's what I was going to say, all those nice drinks...don't compare to a nice tumbler of old Terran-style whisk--" as she turned to walk forwards, her words were cut off by walking straight into the strong jumpered chest of a man. Taking a step back, she was met with bright blue eyes that she had definitely noticed but never dwelled on before. There was an unfamiliar smirk on his face, too. One garnered by a he fty  intake of alcohol Rose could only assume.

"I have to agree with that statement, Lieutenant Tyler," he told her, his thick Northern-English accent caus ed  a rush of warmth to come over her, a light blush staining her cheeks. 

"I-I... yes, hello..." she stumbled over her words, the fuzzy-feeling from drinking seemed like a distant memory, now her mind seemed to be filled with the growing smile on the face of what had previously been - in her mind at least - the grumpiest man she'd ever met. 

"Hello," he returned and finding herself smiling, Rose could only determine that the alcohol, and her previous lack of it for such a period of time, was doing a number on her.

"Oi, big ears!" Donna's unmistakable voice cut through the fog in her head and she stepped out of his way, motioning for him to pass her, "I  didn't think you were coming!" the Doctor spared a glance for Rose as she slowly moved towards the bar, before moving to the table.

"Any excuse to finally be on ground that isn't a massive tin of death," he sat in Rose's vacated seat, taking a small sip from his glass.  He was only sitting there a moment before Donna's communicator beeped and she pushed past him, leaving him at the table with Jack, Ianto, Martha and Mickey, the latter three were people he was definitely barely acquaintances with, let alone able to sit alone at the table in a stuffy alien-nightclub. 

" John, I barely see you any more," Jack whined across the table, even as he leant back and placed his arm behind Ianto, "I don't put the people on my ship in that much danger."

"First of all, Captain, you see me almost after every away mission...even the peaceful ones," he paused,  sipping  is drinks, "especially the peaceful ones, come to think of it." Jack dismissed him with his free hand, a grin on his face.

"You love me for it," if the Doctor could have controlled his eyes from rolling, he might have come away from there unaffected, "Rose is coming back." The words caused him to involuntarily spin his head around in the Rose-less direction, "Just too easy."

"Shut up." the Doctor stood, receiving protests from his - probably only - friend, and he moved away from the group, moving to stand by the bar unknowingly next to Rose.

"Oh," seemingly surprised to see him next to her, again, she stared for the longest time eyes taking in his whole appearance, black leather jacket, jeans and hefty black boots - he almost looked out of time with the world.

"Sorry, got a bit too much...Jack over there," he commented, although what he was apologizing for he wasn’t entirely sure.

"You were barely there for two minutes, he usually needs a solid ten to grate on my nerves," she joked , turning back to face the bar again, it was easier this way, than actually allowing herself to swoon a little at his general presence. Sure that this is the most conversation that she's actually had with him, she bit her bottom lip, not wanting it to end, before she could actually say anything, his thick accent cut through her words.

"I used to have a ship," she could tell by his tone that he was opening up to her, and her curiosity kept her silent, turning to face him, even as he looked down at his drink, "I loved to fly, would go off... thinking I was so sort of adventurer... and I was for a while, you know, I was. There was a crash, big... and I survived and other people... didn’t." 

"I'm so sorry," moving her hand to clasp his, she tilted her head, aware that he wasn't finished yet, relishing the feeling of him squeezing her hand gently.

"That's not...I didn't do it for sympathy, I didn't tell you, I mean... I lost friends and I survived, and I promised I'd never fly again..." pausing he focussed on the small hand still protecting his much larger one, "Donna convinced me to go to Starfleet, man my age, told her she was mental, but you know my sister... I told her I would never fly again, and her I am...on a bloody great ship responsible for the lives of everyone on there...terrified that if it crashed... I'd be the only one alive again."

"But..."

"Saving people..." he turned his head to her now, his deep blue eyes capturing her equally interesting brown eyes, "knowing I'm here for the people I care most about... I'll never fly a ship again, but I'll be damned if I let my sister, my best friend...  you  on this ship without being here to help."

"Sweet as that is, Doctor, you've barely said a word to me on the ship," she run her fingers over his hand, allowing a gently caress as she moved to pull away.

"This is what this is, Tyler, an apology..." grasping her hand, he brought her fingers to his pulse point, she found it racing, "I'm terrified... just because I have to be there, just because I need to be there, doesn't mean every moment of the day I'm not terrified... I have to drink or self-medicate... it's a dangerous line..."

"Donna suggested  hypnotherapy , I bet."

"She offer ed  to be the person to give it to me, takes a few classes for fun and thinks she's an expert that one," smiling as Rose chuckled, he captured her hand in his, lacing their fingers together, giving her a moment to pull away should she wish, knowing that she was too kind in general to do so, "of all the people I wish I wasn't terrified for...it's you..." 

"Maybe we could..." Rose stopped, stepping closer to him, using her free hand to smooth down his face, "work on something together."

"I'm not worth that."

"How about you let me be the judge of that, eh?" Rose give him a tongue-touched smile, and his grin was wide as it tried to match her.

"I can do that." 


End file.
